What’s next for Joe Cunningham? SC Dem trolls political watchers with announcement
Former South Carolina Congressman Joe Cunningham said he will soon share his plans for 2022, but in the meantime he’s doing what many out-of-office politicians do: He’s starting a podcast.
On Monday, in a cheeky 56-second video posted on social media, the Charleston Democrat announced the creation of his “Joint Resolution with Joe Cunningham” podcast.
In the video, Cunningham sits in a home office wearing a navy suit and red tie. Cunningham, 38, speaks straight to camera as the song “Yankee Doodle” plays softly in the background.
“Over the last several months I’ve heard from so many of you on how I can best serve the state of South Carolina and this country in the years to come,” Cunningham says, as slices of footage show him walking through Lowcountry marshes and shaking hands with constituents in pre-pandemic times.
“We are faced with unprecedented challenges, and we need leaders who will step up and do the work necessary to finally bring this country together. From the Grand Strand of Horry County to Howard’s Rock at Clemson, our state is bursting with potential, and it’s ready for change,” Cunningham continues.
Then, in what appears to be a wind-up to announcing a potential political run, the sound of a record scratch brings it all to a halt, as Cunningham announces he is launching a podcast.
Cunningham grins as another camera angle shows he was sitting at the desk in navy shorts the whole time.
Since he left office in January, speculation has swirled in political circles as to whether Cunningham will mount another run for office. It has prompted questions including whether voters will see a rematch between him and Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in 2022, or whether Cunningham might seek a run for statewide office, like a gubernatorial run against Republican Gov. Henry McMaster or challenging U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
Since his concession speech and a farewell speech on the U.S. House floor, Cunningham has been quiet yet coy about his next steps.
“My service to South Carolina is just getting started, and I will be sharing my plans for 2022 very soon,” Cunningham said in a tweet Monday morning. “In the meantime, I hope this podcast gets people thinking about how best to come together and tackle the challenges facing our state and nation.”
The first episode, which is available on Spotify, features former U.S. Rep. Denver Riggleman, a Republican from Virginia, and U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Virginia Democrat.
For two years, Cunningham represented South Carolina’s coastal and reliably Republican 1st Congressional District — a feat that no national analysts thought would happen when he was elected in 2018. He was the first Democrat in nearly 40 years to hold the seat.
But in 2020, Cunningham lost his reelection bid to Republican Nancy Mace, a former state lawmaker who helped Donald Trump become president in 2016. Mace made the case that Cunningham was out of step with the historically Republican district he was elected to represent and ultimately beat him by 5,415 votes.
After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by violent pro-Trump extremists, Cunningham confirmed to The State that he is taking time to determine what he wants to do next in the public arena and will be taking the next few months to determine how he can be part of the solution.
On Monday, he pointed to his farewell address on the House floor. During those remarks, Cunningham stressed the importance of getting rid of political tribalism before he cracked open a beer and toasted his colleagues.
“I stressed the importance of Democrats and Republicans sitting down and actually talking to each other again, and more importantly, listening to each other again,” Cunningham said in a statement Monday. “I started this podcast because I wanted to practice what I preach. I think now more than ever we need to hear differing thoughts and perspectives on current issues and bring fresh ideas to the table.”
Cunningham is hardly the first politician in the Palmetto State to start a podcast.
Former Democratic state Sens. Joel Lourie and Vincent Sheheen launched a political podcast last month called “Bourbon In The Back Room.”
Former Republican U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy joined Fox News as a contributor in Jan. 2019 and also hosts the Trey Gowdy Podcast on Fox News Audio.
Former Democratic state Rep. Bakari Sellers, a CNN contributor, started a podcast in 2020. Last month, Cunningham was a guest on his show.
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 11:52 AM.
